From the Sector

Although affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, ITMA ASIA + CITME, which takes place mid-June in Shanghai, will see a convincing participation of VDMA member companies. 56 exhibitors from Germany will exhibit at this year’s edition of Asia’s major fair for textile machinery. Due to the pandemic and travel restrictions, this is much less than in 2018, when 99 exhibitors from Germany were present. The booked space of German companies has almost halved compared to 2018. Nevertheless, Germany is still the second largest exhibitor nation after China.

At a virtual VDMA press conference early June, these renowned VDMA member companies* presented their highlights for the Asian market:

• Oerlikon Polymer Processing Solutions Division
• Truetzschler Group
• Neuenhauser
• Saurer
• Karl Mayer
• Groz-Beckert
• Herzog
• Lenze
• Mahlo
• Sedo Treepoint
• Thies

Instead of visiting the show personally, the VDMA offers a virtual trip to Asia. The established "Textile Machinery Webtalk" series via the newsroom IndustryArena will focus on ITMA ASIA in the run-up to the fair: VDMA Webtalks meet ITMA ASIA.

*See attached document for more information.

AMAC cooperates with ITA (Institute for Textile Technology of RWTH Aachen University and their ITA GmbH) for the business development in composites 

As of April 19th, 2021, AMAC is pleased to announce its cooperation with the Institute for Textile Technology, ITA, of RWTH Aachen University and their ITA GmbH. The aim of the cooperation is to strengthen and develop their business activities in composites.

ITA, as one of the largest institutes on the campus of the excellence University RWTH Aachen, Germany, develops complete solutions from the manufacturing of the fiber itself over the processing of textile intermediates with thermoplastic and thermoset resins, textile-based part manufacturing, capabilities such as braiding, pultrusion and in-situ impregnation of textile preforms. Top 3 focused industries are transportation and particularly the e-mobility sector, building and construction as well as the wind energy sector. Additionally, ITA GmbH is the partner of the industry in R&D, focusing on 8 business segments, providing technology and knowledge transfer, as well as offering comprehensive solutions along the entire textile value chain.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Gries, Director of ITA, explains the background of the strategic cooperation with focus on composites: „Our long-term experience and unmatched know-how with all aspects of continuous fibers, non-wovens and web-based reinforcements allows us to deliver to the composite manufacturers a complete technology and service offer around the development of technical textiles, from the development of glass and carbon fibers to the textile-based processing of composite parts. In all process steps of our research and developments, we focus on sustainable and recyclable solutions, an efficient cost-performance ratio, the possible use of bio-based materials and the reduction of the CO2 footprint. We are glad to cooperate with Dr. Michael Effing and AMAC in order to benefit from his door-opening network in the composites industry. “

Dr. Michael Effing, Managing Director of AMAC GmbH: „I am very happy to support the ITA to generate innovation thanks to further industrial networking and pre-competitive joint projects. ITA is indeed a one-stop source for composite solutions from the fiber to the cost-efficient manufacturing of final parts. In the context of the Covid-19 impact to the entire industry, it makes sense to bundle forces. Furthermore, ITA, with its long tradition and satisfied customers offers further valuable networking opportunities to the composites industry as well as access to relevant complementary fiber-based excellence and 250 different technologies in their machine-park with an outstanding infrastructure in Aachen.”

Long-term project business in China remains stable 

Oerlikon has received new large orders for manmade fibers production solutions from three of the world’s leading manmade fibers manufacturers. All three companies are based in China and have been key customers of Oerlikon for many years. The orders are for Oerlikon Barmag’s world-leading filament-spinning technology for the highly efficient production of polyester fibers. The three projects have a total value of more than CHF 600 million (EUR 565 million). A very small proportion of these projects will be recognized in Oerlikon Group’s order intake in 2020, and the majority will be accounted for in 2021 and 2022. On-site delivery and installation of these systems are planned for the period from 2021 to early 2023.

The systems business in China remains largely unchanged despite the short-term interruption caused by the coronavirus epidemic following the Chinese New Year celebrations. Long-term project planning for major customers in the manmade fibers industry has resulted in new major orders being placed with Oerlikon Barmag. One of the three new orders, valued at more than CHF300million (EUR282million), is the largest order ever received by Oerlikon Barmag, based in Remscheid, Germany.

The comprehensive manmade fibers technology solutions by Oerlikon are used along the entire value chain in polyester yarn manufacturing and contain cutting-edge automation and digitalization technologies. Oerlikon’s innovative technologies will enable the three Chinese companies to increase their production capacities for polyester yarn and to remain competitive. Oerlikon Barmag will provide the entire system for WINGS POY and WINGS FDY, as well as the texturing machines from the eFK product family in phases over a period of slightly over two years.

ITMA ASIA + CITME 2018, Asia’s foremost trade fair dedicated to textile machinery, is once again marked by a significant presence of German companies both in their number and in the quality of their technology. Visitors to the fair will have an opportunity to appreciate the high level of technology being proposed by more than 100 exhibitors from Germany, including more than 80 VDMA member companies. They cover nearly all different machinery chapters with a focus on spinning, nonwoven, weaving, knitting, warp knitting and finishing. The overall exhibition space occupied by German machinery manufacturers is more than 7,000 square meters, confirming Germany’s leading position among exhibiting foreign countries. The German exhibitors increased their booth space by approximately 15 % compared to 2016.

“Choose the original - Choose success" is the message of the VDMA Textile Machinery at this trade fair. On the occasion of the VDMA press conference on the opening day of ITMA ASIA, Ms Karin Christine Schmidt, Technical Director VDMA Textile Machinery, emphasised: “Copycat machines may look similar to the systems they are designed to emulate. But only originals do not simply follow but are pacesetters of technological progress.” Original technology is a keystone of innovation. It has the potential to successfully turn visions of entirely new possibilities in the textile production into reality.

This approach is visualised at the VDMA booth. The stand achieves attention and emotion through the picture motif: Neuschwanstein Castle. This world-famous tourist magnet is more than that: it is also a successful original. A vision, which could be successfully implemented in the long term through innovation and technology!

During the press conference, 18 spokespersons of renowned VDMA member companies showed how original technology can indeed play a major role in China’s and other Asian nation’s efforts to increase the resource efficiency of the textile industry and to interconnect information technology and manufacturing processes.  

Topics of the companies included automation, performance improvement, quality, sustainable solutions (raw material, energy, water saving), Industry 4.0 (in China called intelligent manufacturing), digital AR/VR services, platforms and software.

You are welcome to explore the speakers' statements in the atached PDF.

Peter D. Dornier, member of the Executive Board of the VDMA Textile Machinery Federation and Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation for the Promotion of Young Engineers, honours five young talents. Numerous entrepreneurs and managers from the German textile machinery industry took part in the award ceremony at the Digital Capability Center (DCC) in Aachen, Germany.

The prizewinner in the dissertation category, Dr.- Ing. Benjamin Weise, comes from the Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University (ITA). He has dealt with a complex production process for the manufacture of modified multifilament yarns, which offers new perspectives for the development and manufacture of textile charge carriers.

M.Sc. Susanne Fischer, winner of the Master's thesis category, has systematically and comprehensively solved the challenging task of integrating motion sensors into a finger glove at Reutlingen University.
The 2018 creativity award winners are team Mr. Jan Merlin Abram and Mr. Alon Tal from ITA Aachen as well as Mr. Eric Otto from the Institute for Textile Machinery and High-Performance Textile Materials Technology (ITM) in Dresden. The students Abram and Tal have developed a guideline for the design of hybrid morphing textiles. In addition to the classic functions in conventional and, in particular, composite applications, locally defined, functionally effective joint, torsion, expansion and compression mechanisms can be integrated into the textile.

The prizewinner Otto is awarded for a concept study for the development of a circular knitting machine with a variable diameter needle cylinder, which can lead to further flexibility in the circular knitting process.